Your recent article about START-UP NY suggests that the program "may not be totally tax free," but that simply is not the case. We recently launched START-UP NY as a game-changing initiative that creates university-affiliated tax-free zones to attract and grow new businesses across the state. The tax free zones are completely free of taxes - there are no state taxes, no sales or property taxes, and no state corporate or personal income taxes in the zones.

Incentive programs like START-UP NY include checks and balances that are monitored and benchmarks that must be achieved to ensure that the companies benefiting from the incentives are fulfilling their end of the bargain. We work tirelessly to ensure that businesses succeed in New York, while also promoting accountability - the guidelines in our incentive packages are very clear, and eligible businesses are fully briefed on them. If a company is paying no taxes, we want to make sure it's delivering on its promise to create new jobs for New York.

START-UP NY encourages entrepreneurialism and job creation across the state on a large scale, with a particular focus on Upstate New York, by promoting partnerships between the SUNY system and private universities and new businesses. I want to make it clear to your readers, many of whom may be interested in participating, that no taxes really means no taxes.